Extended Reaction Rate Integral as Solutions of Some General Differential Equations

Here an extended form of the reaction rate probability integral, in the case of nonresonant thermonuclear reactions with the depleted tail and the right tail cut off, is considered. The reaction rate integral then can be looked upon as the inverse of the convolution of the Mellin transforms of Tsallis type statistics of nonextensive statistical mechanics and stretched exponential as well as that of superstatistics and stretched exponentials. The differential equations satisfied by the extended probability integrals are derived. The idea used is a novel one of evaluating the extended integrals in terms of some special functions and then by invoking the differential equations satisfied by these special functions. Some special cases of limiting situations are also discussed.Comment: 9 pages, LaTe

On the dynamics of lending and deposit interest rates in emerging markets: A non-linear approach

This paper studies the dynamics of lending and deposit rates in two emerging markets in Latin America: Colombia and Mexico. The dynamics of lending (deposit) interest rates are driven by the exogenous interbank interest rate and deviations from the long-run lending-interbank (deposit-interbank) interest rate relationship. Allowing for different interest rate behavior during periods characterized by large and small values of the spread, the non-linear specification proves superior to the linear one

Applying concepts of fuzzy cognitive mapping to model IT/IS investment evaluation factors

The justification process is a major concern for many organisations that are considering the adoption of Information Technology (IT) and Information Systems (IS), and is a barrier to its implementation. As a result, the competitive advantage of many companies is being put at risk because of management's inability to evaluate the holistic implication of adopting new technology, both in terms of on the benefit and cost portfolios. This paper identifies a number of well-known project appraisal techniques used in IT/IS investment justification. Furthermore, the concept of multivalent, or fuzzy logic, is used to demonstrate how inter-relationships can be modeled between key dimensions identified in the proposed conceptual evaluation model. This is highlighted using fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM) as a technique to model each IT/IS evaluation factor (integrating strategic, tactical, operational and investment considerations). The use of an FCM is then shown to be as a complementary tool which can serve to highlight interdependencies between contributory justification factors

On the trade balance effects of free trade agreements between the EU-15 and the CEEC-4 countries

The expansion of regionalism has spawned an extensive theoretical literature analysing the effects of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) on trade flows. In this paper we focus on FTAs (also called European agreements) between the European Union (EU-15) and the Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC-4, i.e. Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Romania) and model their effects on trade flows by treating the agreement variable as endogenous. Our theoretical framework is the gravity model, and the econometric method used to isolate and eliminate the potential endogeneity bias of the agreement variable is the fixed effect vector decomposition (FEVD) technique. Our estimation results indicate a positive and significant impact of FTAs on trade flows. However, exports and imports are affected differently, leading to some disparity in trade flow performance between countries. Therefore, there is an asymmetric impact on the trade balance, the agreement variable resulting in a trade balance deficit in the CEEC

Interactions of heavy-light mesons

The potential between static-light mesons forming a meson-meson or a meson-antimeson system is calculated in quenched and unquenched SU(3) gauge theory. We use the Sheikholeslami-Wohlert action and statistical estimators of light quark propagators with maximal variance reduction. The dependence of the potentials on the light quark spin and isospin and the effect of meson exchange is investigated. Our main motivation is exploration of bound states of two mesons and string breaking. The latter also involves the two-quark potential and the correlation between two-quark and two-meson states.Comment: Contribution to LATTICE99 (QCD spectrum). 3 pages, 4 eps figure

Relevance of monocytic features for neovascularization capacity of circulating endothelial progenitor cells

Background— Transplantation of ex vivo expanded circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) from peripheral blood mononuclear cells improves the neovascularization after critical ischemia. However, the origin of the endothelial progenitor lineage and its characteristics have not yet been clearly defined. Therefore, we investigated whether the phenotype and functional capacity of EPCs to improve neovascularization depend on their monocytic origin

Low-energy shock wave for enhancing recruitment of endothelial progenitor cells: a new modality to increase efficacy of cell therapy in chronic hind limb ischemia

Background— Stem and progenitor cell therapy is a novel approach to improve neovascularization and function of ischemic tissue. Enhanced tissue expression of chemoattractant factors such as stromal cell–derived factor 1 and vascular endothelial growth factor is crucial for the recruitment of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) during acute ischemia. In chronic ischemia, however, expression of these chemoattractants is less pronounced, which results in insufficient EPC recruitment into the target tissue. Therefore, we investigated the effect of targeted extracorporeal shock wave (SW) application in order to facilitate EPC recruitment into nonischemic and chronic ischemic tissue

CD40 ligand inhibits endothelial cell migration by increasing production of endothelial reactive oxygen species

Background— The CD40/CD40 ligand system is involved in atherogenesis. Activated T lymphocytes and platelets, which express high amounts of CD40 ligand (CD40L) on their surface, contribute significantly to plaque instability with ensuing thrombus formation, leading to acute coronary syndromes. Because reendothelialization may play a pivotal role for plaque stabilization, we investigated a potential role of CD40L on endothelial cell (EC) migration